Award Recipient 2009:
Michael Wessells, PhD  

Michael Wessells, PhD, Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health at Columbia University, and a professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon College will be honored for his lifetime commitment to protect children and families affected by disaster, forced migration, and ethno-political violence. Wessells also serves as Senior Child Protection Specialist for Christian Children’s Fund (CCF) where he advises on child protection, psychosocial programs, and policy issues worldwide.

In addition to his humanitarian service, Wessells has made a number of scholarly contributions to field. He is the Associate Editor of Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology; his book, Child soldiers: From violence to protection (Harvard, 2007) provides insights about the complex lives of these children. In addition to his work on child soldiers, and children and armed conflict, Wessells’ research focuses on psychosocial assistance in emergencies, and post-conflict reconstruction for peace.

Wessells has worked with numerous governments and international agencies and to develop community-based and culturally sensitive programs that are designed to support families, children, and communities affected by armed conflict. This work has taken him to countries such as Angola, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Kosovo, and Afghanistan where his efforts on behalf of children often placed him in personal jeopardy. His activism, leadership, and service have occurred within multiple organizations such as APA (as president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility and the Division of Peace Psychology), the United Nations, the US State Department, IUPsyS, and the CFC.

In his capacity as co-chair of the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, Wessells worked with hundreds of professionals around the world to produce the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (2007). Since their publication the guidelines have provided mental health workers throughout the world a foundation for developing psychosocial support in culturally responsive ways.